Speed on Texas 105 hits new limits

Published 6:00 pm, Saturday, March 6, 2010

An increase in driving factors has led to a reduction in the speed limit on almost every section of Texas 105 through Montgomery County.

The most noticeable change involves lowering the speed limit from 60 mph to 55 mph starting at the intersection of Texas 105 and FM 3083 and continuing west to FM 2854, just before the Montgomery city limit.

Texas Department of Transportation maintenance crews completed installation of the new speed limit signs on that side of the county Friday, Montgomery Area Maintenance Supervisor Delbert Aldredge said.

“We made a special trip Friday so we’d have enough signs to finish that section of the highway,” he said. “We didn’t want there to be any confusion.”

Aldredge said his department is waiting on the new signs for Texas 105 east of the Conroe city limit. The speed limit on that stretch of the highway out to the Liberty County line is being lowered from 60 mph to 55 mph. Some areas of that stretch already have the 55-mph speed limit, he said.

A speed limit study of Texas 105 was conducted last year by TxDOT traffic management engineers at the request of the city of Conroe and two individuals, TxDOT Montgomery Area Engineer Karen Baker said.

With the exception of Texas 105 from downtown Conroe east to Veterans Memorial Highway (Loop 336 East), the rest of the state highway through the city has a lower speed limit.

“It’s a sign of the increased volume of traffic on that road,” Baker said.

Conroe approved the speed limit changes within its boundaries during City Council meetings in October and January.

Changes on Texas 105 outside Conroe received final approval from the Texas Transportation Commission in Austin, Baker said.

“The traffic (on Texas 105) needed to slow down,” Conroe Mayor Webb Melder said. “We work with TxDOT all the time on traffic studies to try and improve traffic safety.”

Conroe City Engineer Craig Meyers said TxDOT speed limit studies are based on a number of factors. They include the average speed of 85 percent of the drivers traveling the road and the number of traffic signals and driveways along the way.

“It’s a busy road with a lot of access points,” Meyers said of Texas 105 West.

“The majority of traffic was going faster than the posted speed,” said Meyers, adding that the purpose of the studies are designed to “get people to drive at the same speeds, rather than at a variance.”

The drop in the speed limit on Texas 105 West is welcome news to Buster Bowers, of Vernon’s Kuntry Katfish. He has witnessed a number of serious or fatal wrecks near his family owned restaurant.

“Lowering the speed limit needed to be done,” Bowers said. “Fifty (mph), in my opinion, would be better. Stop lights and dividers are not really the answer. How much time are you losing if you drive 5, 10 or 20 miles-per-hour slower?

“We’re only talking about seven miles out to Walden Road.”

April Sound resident David Cassel feels differently, saying that the lower speed limits will become cash cows for local law enforcement, especially the city of Conroe.

“It’s purely to generate revenue,” he said.

Conroe Police Chief Philip Dupuis said the issuance of a warning or speeding ticket is at the discretion of the officers.